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Sunday, January 6, 2013

Burning Mountain

For all you dying to come to Azerbaijan (yes, all two of you, Mom and Dad), I have some very disappointing news: it's really just not that exciting. I know I've made it sound really fascinating (all of that traffic, and the great holidays and... um, the traffic), but truthfully there really isn't that much to do, and of the things there are to do, most of them (okay probably all of them) are incredibly underwhelming. But in a nice, friendly kind of underwhelming way.

This past week we decided to break up the five-day holiday with a little day trip to somewhere other than our neighborhood. It's been kind of cold - not Moscow cold, but cold enough for southern-raised me - so we decided to go with some friends to Yanar Dag, The Burning Mountain.

That sounds very exciting - The Burning Mountain! It conjures up images of flames leaping to the sky, searing all that dare go near it, bringing exclamations of awe to the lips of all that see it. Kind of like the pyramids, but on fire.

So in preparation we brought hot dogs and some coat hangers. We tried to get marshmallows, but the grocery stores were closed for the holiday.

Our plans to meet up went sadly awry when our friends accidentally rear-ended a Lada (in Baku it's not if you get into a traffic accident, it's when), so we went on alone with the children. Joseph was kept safely strapped to Brandon's front.

After paying four manat to the guard hut by the entrance, we walked past what the guidebook cheerfully described as a 'decrepit old teahouse' and down the stairs to the... burning mountain.

Like I said, rather underwhelming. It was warm, however, which was nice for the January weather. Then we climbed up over the mountain to see what was on the other side.

Grass, we discovered. And to Edwin's delight, sheep bones.

And since an outing isn't complete without all of those dangerously unhealthy refined starches and sugars, we had snacks. Yummy!

Then we went home, running into our friends who now had a slightly more dented car than previously. And everyone had a great time - I enjoyed the sunshine, the children enjoyed the snacks, and Brandon enjoyed the fire, from a safe distance. Maybe we'll go again and and this time, bring some marshmallows for roasting.

Us

We're a family of eight traveling the world one country at a time.
Brandon's a diplomat and the rest of us (Ashley, Kathleen, Sophia, Edwin and Joseph, Eleanor, and William) are just keeping him company.